No thanks to Ponson, Yanks crush Rangers
ByIn his first start for the Yankees, last Friday evening in Shea Stadium, Sidney Ponson was good if you didn’t look too closely. He threw six scoreless innings and emerged the victor in a game the Yankees won 9-0. But those were six rather dicey scoreless innings.
Through the first four innings of the Mets game, Ponson had put nine runners on base. He also struck out four and saw his defense turn a double play behind him. As I noted last week, Ponson was flirting with danger all night; the Mets just couldn’t bite.
Tonight, danger flirted back with Ponson in a big way. This time, Ponson managed to put 12 runners on base through four batters into the sixth inning. The Rangers, however, would not go down as easily as the Mets did. While the Yankee offense turned three double plays behind Ponson, eventually the Rangers broke through with a few runs in the third followed by a pair of two-run home runs in the sixth to chase Sir Sidney.
When that dust settled, Ponson’s tally on the evening was more in line with what we would have expected last week. He allowed 7 runs — all earned — on 9 hits and 3 walks. He struck out just one, and his ERA with the Yanks is now 5.77. He’s allowed 21 base runners in 11 innings.
In the end, Ponson’s pitching didn’t matter. The Yankees, as the narrative will have it tomorrow, responded to Hank’s threat and scored a season-high 18 runs on 16 hits, 7 walks and a few well-timed Rangers errors. They were aided by Ron Washington’s inexplicable decision to allow Warner Madrigal make his Major League debut in a one-run game against face Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.
When the dust settled, this game tonight was half of just what the doctor ordered. The Yanks hit .390 as a team tonight with six extra-base hits. But on the other side of the ball, it doesn’t appear as though Sidney Ponson will be the answer to the gaping hole in the Yankee rotation. I’m sure he’ll get one more start against the red-hot Rays on Monday, but the only thing we can count on with Ponson is base runners. The Rays will have lots and lots of base runners.
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Let’s spread the runs around next time, eh?
This start does not justify Ponson another start and neither did last week frankly. Giese is not an option because he’s much more valuable as the long man who has to shadow Chamberlain until Chamberlain manages his pitch output better, which means Karstens is the only viable candidate to start against the Rays.
I personally thought Giese performed pretty well. Why can’t we have Ponson shadow Chamberlain, or Karstens for that matter?
If Im not mistaken Monday is an off-day and the Rays series starts Tuesday meaning the Yanks dont necessarily need a 5th starter til the following Saturday. I would assume/hope Ponson wont pitch vs Tampa, although unfortunately Rasner will have to pitch Wed vs the Rays if not Ponson. Pettitte should start Tuesday vs Tampa allowing him to make 2 starts next week. Plus with the All-Star break the following week and the Yankees not playing until that Friday the 5th starter will only be needed twice in the next 19 games or so.
Yeah I made a note of this a couple weeks ago when I mentioned that both Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina have a chance at 20-Win seasons. I’m not a betting man but I would put money on it that the Yankees skip the fifth starter’s spot in this turn.
and if they skip Ponson the next go around, it buys Karstens one more shot to pitch his way to the Bronx before the 5th starter is needed again.
its not about being great for Karstens, just a better option than Ponson (or Rasner).
BTW, don’t pay money to see “Hancock”, average at best.
Trailers reminded me of a Superman knockoff….
Guy doesn’t know anything about his past….one person does and its his enemy….he can fly, stop trains, throw things far….yada yada yada…
Who thought Ponson was going to be good?
I thought it was worth giving him a shot. The best move now is to skip the 5th starter until after the all star break, give karstens 2 or 3 spot starts, then when Wang comes back evaluate who is better, karstens or rasner.
Wang isn’t coming back until September at the earliest. And Cashman recently said it’s not automatic that Hughes pitches in New York when he finishes rehabbing…or that IPK comes back either. We need a 5th starter (maybe 4th as well) by the deadline.
It’s a mortal lock that Wang stays out of the Bronx until the rosters expand.
In fact, what’s much more likely than seeing Hughes or Wang in pinstripes before the playoffs is going with a front three of Moose-Pettitte-Joba, continuing to mix and match Rasner, Karstens, Ponson, Giese, and the Mexican Gangster Al Aceves, and probably selling off one or two totally minor prospects in a week or two to get a replacement-level innings eater like Randy Wolf.
“Who thought Ponson was going to be good?”
Aruba.
It’s too bad Melky will probably play today.
say it ain’t so…
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its fixed!
We could be behind double digits by the end of this next series or two. Or we could still have a shot. I think the season will be decided in the next week. It will be hard to come back if we don’t do well.
The season will be decided next week? There’s twelve more weeks in the season, and we still play Boston and Tampa Bay 15 more times after the All-Star break. Is it impossible to believe that probably once or twice more during the next 12 weeks that there could be a potential swing between tying for first and dropping 10 games out?
The season is LOOOOOONG. My bet is, regardless of how this weekend goes, come September, all three teams will still be right in the thick of it.
2008 American League Stats:
Ponson(5-1, 4.19): 1.62 WHIP
IPK(0-3, 7.41): 1.75 WHIP
When will the golden child return to save us from Ponson?
They should send Ponson and Hughes down to A ball with IPK and they can have a “pitch out” to see who will be called up.